Suzy Jeane
Reality television is here to stay which proves while we enjoy getting lost in a good fantasy, we like to see inside other people’s real lives as much. The messier the better. Through other people’s experiences, television teaches us new ways of handling just about every problem under the sun. We may not be proud of it, but it’s fun to see others struggle with the same issues we do. Somehow when it’s real life that’s happening, there’s more on the line and it makes for an even juicier story.
Judges are an elite group of people. Hated, feared, loved and respected, they deal with their share of drama and could surely sell a reality series. Exhibitors wonder what they’re thinking and feeling and what a day in their life is like. We were fortunate to get some veteran horse show judges to give us a glimpse into their reality.
Jennifer Thompson of Reno, Nevada is an AQHA and NSBA Judge. This year she judged the Silver Dollar Circuit, Texas Classic, Boystown, Region 5 Championships, and All American Quarter Horse Congress.
“My story begins through the eyes of an AQHA judge. This is my thought process from the beginning of the day until the end. Obviously it varies slightly from show to show,” says Thompson.
Some things exhibitors don’t realize is that being a judge begins with a full day of airports and traveling the day before the show starts. Many plans and arrangements are made before even reaching the show grounds. For instance, flights, rental cars, a hotel, getting around a strange town, and touching base with show management are all involved. An exhibitor as well, Jennifer used to think it was “presto” instant judge. They just appear and then they disappear. Now that she has lived the life, she knows it’s not that easy.
When the morning of the show begins, Thompson gets up at 5:00 a.m. to go jogging. “After that, I have a cup of coffee and gather my information for the day to come. I usually take a glance at the rule book just to make sure I have retained the rules correctly. By 6:30 or 7:00 a.m., I meet the other judge for breakfast if it’s a split-combination show. We will go together to the show. We don’t talk about exhibitors. We talk about our families and what’s been happening in our lives. Most judges have a connection with one another just by having judging in common. When the day ends, it’s nice to go to dinner and discuss the day – not the horses! At times, we will talk about a situation that happened, but not usually a horse or specific person. There’s always something exciting that happens like a run off or a buck off. Those make for a good dinner conversation.”
Thompson finds it interesting how much show management affects the whole overtone of the show. If the management is nice in the office and runs things in a timely manner, it makes the show experience much better for judges and exhibitors. She tends to be a punctual person so she appreciates that quality in others which brings up a pet peeve of hers. “If an exhibitor shows up late, it gives me and most judges a negative first impression. Tardiness is not a good way to start your day. I figure if the other exhibitors are there and received the memo that we’re having a show, then the tardy people received the same memo. It’s just not as important to them.”
Most shows begin with halter which Jennifer has learned to really enjoy judging and she truly appreciates a good halter horse. In halter and most classes, it is so much fun to watch great horses, she adds. She thinks a common misconception of judges is that they like to find faults and judge negatively. “Well, we don’t. There is nothing better than seeing that perfect run or beautiful animal. I’d rather watch a pen of twenty great ones than twenty mediocre or bad ones. They are so much easier to judge. Usually when there’s a group that won’t separate themselves from top to bottom, that’s where a judge angers the contestants the most. Also, please keep in mind that it’s not always the best animal that wins. It truly depends on what I see that day and when.”
For instance, if you have the best horse in the pen but you don’t strategically place him or her where she can get the best view, it’s very difficult to judge especially if you can’t see it. As most exhibitors know, there’s an art to showing. “As a judge, we want to get it right. We don’t like making mistakes and we want the right horse to win. We all know our rules and stand by them as well. You need to keep in mind that when you step into the pen, you subject yourself to that one person’s opinion. That’s what you pay for. Not where you think you should be placed. If that were the case, we wouldn’t have a competition and a sport. We would just send a blue ribbon in the mail. It’s a different view and it’s truly different standing in the middle versus the outside of the pen. The audience gets a totally different view of the show than we do. We see things that they don’t and vice versa.”
Thompson starts each show with a clean slate. She may see the same horse on a different weekend and it can be placed totally different. It can be the winner one weekend and not the next. It depends on how the arena fits that horse, its placement in the ring, the other horses competing versus the last show, her mood, and the horse’s behavior. They are all variables and change daily. She has had to explain to many customers in the past why that has happened. “They say, ‘geez, they loved me last weekend, so what’s the problem this weekend?’ Don’t take things personal. It’s not about you. It’s about that run on that day.”
Another thing Thompson wants exhibitors to know is that judges watch every horse all day long and it can get tedious. Judges try to stay focused at all times, but that doesn’t always happen. “According to most judges, it happens a lot in certain classes more than others. We watch the same horse for as much as eleven or twelve hours and it can be mind numbing at times. We are human and periodically make mistakes as painful as that is to say. All I can tell you is that we judges try as hard as we can to get it right. We understand the hard work and money that is poured into this sport and we take that very seriously. We all take a lot of pride in doing a good job and it feels good when we do. It’s not so fun when you know you missed something.”
As an exhibitor, Thompson wants the day to get over at a decent hour. As a judge she is aware of how hard everyone works and sacrifices to be there. She wants to move things along so that they can be in the game the next day. Her goal is to see the best that a contestant has to offer; then may the best horse win.
Suzy Jeane of Valley View, Texas, has been an AQHA and NSBA judge for about a decade. A day of judging for her begins with a wake up call in the wee morning hours and breakfast with the other judges. They usually arrive at the show 15 minutes before the action begins.
“When judging a double-judged class we are not allowed to talk during the class and we are not allowed to talk to exhibitors. Single judge shows aren’t as fun as multiple judged shows as it’s great to meet professionals in the field. I learn a lot from other professionals,” says Jeane.
Jeane says being a judge has made her a better exhibitor and she always encourages exhibitors to ask questions through the ring steward. The best time to do that is right after the class while waiting for them to call out the places and if the judge has a break. Just make sure the ring stewards are there. The drill is the same for the big shows like the Congress which she calls, “way too fun to judge. Everyone is usually more open than you would think and I’ve never judged with anyone who was not giving 100%. Everyone does the best job they can.”
The most challenging thing about judging for Jeane is staying on top of her game and staying current with the different events. She says staying informed is a constant process and that a judge can never stop learning. “You can learn from everyone. My biggest concern is nervous exhibitors. I feel so bad for them. Nerves go right to the horse. Staying focused isn’t hard because we enjoy it and it’s our job – like a doctor doing surgery. It’s always rewarding to see a nice horse.”
There are a few things Jeane thinks could be done better at shows for judges and exhibitors. Everyone is concerned with the length of the shows and she doesn’t think there can be too many novice or introductory events and we all need to be open minded. “That’s cutting off our nose to spite our face and we need to target the introductory level exhibitor and make them feel as important as an open rider. Judges work for the exhibitor and grumpy judges make me mad. Also, judges should be there to help with weaker or new show management,” she says.
Judging takes its toll on the feet, eyes, and back says Suzy. “Check the weather before you go. Judging is not for the faint hearted. We all still get on the edge and it takes several years to get confident. I would recommend to young people in the industry, if they want to remain in it, to pursue judging earlier. You need to see it from all sides. It really makes you a better exhibitor,” she says.
Suzy recalls a story from her early days with her judge’s card when she was free game for anything. She was judging the Lonestar Futurity in Texas which was big and tough. It was a halter futurity and she was the only performance person there. “I judged it differently and didn’t let Jerry Wells win. He was famous for voicing his opinion and here he comes and those guys (other judges) scattered like chickens. Well, he let me have it and when it was over I thought, ‘my husband is big and he yells at me every day and he doesn’t scare me.’ When I got home, I got in my car and went to see Jerry. I pulled up in his driveway thinking, ‘if you’re going to complain, you’re going to teach me something.’ He pulled out every horse and he was so nice to me.
“The horse community is small. Everybody has a different opinion. Everyone tries their hardest. I’m not a cattle person and I’m doing the best I can (in those classes) and I hope they know that. That’s why they developed the specialty judging.” The roping is also tough for Suzy. “It happens fast and those guys are so good,” she says.
Jeane stresses that judging is beneficial for trainers and it teaches that “even the great guys goof up.” Judges are required to do four shows a year and one big one. The easiest event for Jeane to judge is trail and she added it for longevity to her more seasoned horses. She loves to watch the older horses take care of their exhibitors and finds it rewarding to see horses she has had a hand in making.
2009 was a big transitional year for Suzy as her son T. Joe left home to attend LSU. “He’s having a large time and it’s awful because he used to go to all the shows with me.” During this interview Suzy was recuperating from a broken leg from a horse that tripped and fell on her. I have pins and everything and years ago did the same thing to my other leg, so I have a matched pair,” she laughs.
Joe Carter of St. George Ontario is a veritable who’s who of judges. He holds AQHA, NCHA, NRHA, NRCHA, ApHC, NSBA, FEI, APHA, IBHA, and Pinto cards and has been at it for 28 years. For Carter, judging was just a part of the horse business and where he wanted to be. “I’ve been a shoer since 1964 and made a good part of my living doing that and training as well. I like judging and looking at good horses and I’ve been very fortunate to find some big-time horses. I was one of the first judges to like certain horses that went on to be the talk of the town and sold for unbelievable amounts of money.”
Joe quit school and his job to go into the horse business full-time. “I never lacked self confidence and when you’re in business for yourself you can’t afford to make a lot of mistakes. Back then I used to trade horses a lot and you had to be careful. You had to learn to look at a horse quick and make a decision,” he says. Joe prided himself on two things: :I could spot a good horse quick and was a good horse shoer.”
“When I think back now I’m sure I made mistakes and there weren’t as many people to ask and draw from. It was new and exciting and the shows were big and just fun. We held the judges in higher esteem or, maybe, respected them better, but it was like that back then. It was the same with school teachers and ministers,” he says.
Today Carter finds the traveling tedious and says, “it’s not like it was years ago; it’s not fun. It’s just awful and it wears you down. Hours don’t matter to me and I like to judge. When they tell me entries are up, I feel good.”
How does he stay focused and attentive during a long show? Carter gives a lot of speeches and says there are two things to remember as a judge: to focus and survive go hand in hand. He personally stays alert by re-summarizing and redoing the go in his head which helps him to stay in the moment. He adds, “Judges want to do a good job and it’s more than your reputation on the line. It’s your integrity. When I step in the ring I’m in competition with myself. Everyone makes mistakes when they’re judging. The trick is to make the least mistakes possible.”
There are several things that have done a lot for making the show experience better for judges and exhibitors. Prepping judges and educating them before classes at most shows and the penalty review has been a big plus, says Carter. “In the old days a zero was a zero; it’s more correct now,” says Carter. As a monitor, Joe wishes there was time to set up a place where people could come and watch the judges’ prep. He believes the spectators would appreciate it and see that the associations are putting a lot of effort into making sure the right horses leave with the trophy.
“Video will never lie and always tells you the same story. We do workshops now, too, and though they need to be improved on, they’re great tools. In all fairness there are very few all around judges who have cards for everything. We try to bring people to these workshops who will maybe never judge a certain event, but they can get pretty darn good at it,” he says.
The day of the show for a judge doesn’t start that day. The work begins the day before, says Carter. He gathers his score sheets, pattern books, and whistle. At big shows he reviews the specialty classes: reining, roping and such and watches videos to bring himself “up to snuff. I find a lot of the good judges do that.”
Not everyone is so prepared and Joe laughingly recalls a World show several years ago where he was a call judge for the horsemanship. The first girl was waiting and went up to the cone. The judge behind Joe sits down with his scribe and says, “What the hell are they supposed to do in this class?” “All I could do was burst out laughing, although I was mad. Here’s this poor girl whose life is depending on this moment,” he says.
“We have to be ready for that first horse and we spend a lot of time talking to judges before each class. We learn from one another and everyone has a different way to look at things. When things are close, it makes judging fun and we should always be watching the same horse show,” he continues. Joe’s motto is, “Live as a team and die as a team and never single anyone out. My job is to protect the judges and most of the time I can defend them and I can make most people who complain feel good. I’m pro-judge. I have to protect the association a little bit, too. Most situations are caused and most good dreams happen at night and most nightmares happen during the day.”
Joe has gotten adept at handling disgruntled exhibitors and good at building people up. “I like to talk to people and a lot of times people just want to talk to someone, Sometimes they’re right and didn’t score as good as they should. I never tell anyone to get lost. I’m usually watching the show and have seen each horse and I find we become friends. Most of the time, if you have a good run you get what you deserve,” he says.
Judging makes you a better exhibitor but you may not make friends all the time or make everyone happy, adds Joe. “Horses will humble you faster than anything. That’s what keeps it exciting and if it were easy, it wouldn’t be interesting,” he says.
“The people are really nice no matter where you go and I’ve judged in 20 different countries. Horse people are the same all over and it’s amazing how far the horse world has come. I just came back from the European Championships and they were as good as anywhere in the U.S. I bought my first horse in 1958 and there was no one to ask back then. Today it’s so different and people want to learn now and I love helping people. Today there is a big exchange of knowledge and people are happy to share what they know,” he concludes.
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